New podcast to explore the realities of fishing in Cornwall

The four-part programme, titled Young Fishers, has been created by Miracle Theatre and will launch at the Fisherman's Arms pub in Newlyn on November 29.

Over the past year, producers Hannah Stephens from Cornwall and Emer Morris from Scotland have gathered stories from young fishers across the UK.

These range from a 13-year-old who catches lobster and crab off his village beach to seasoned boat skippers in their 20s and 30s.

The participants will be connected in person and on screen at the Newlyn event, hosted by Miracle Theatre and the Cornish Fish Producers’ Organisation’s Young Fishermen Network.

Among those featured is Jonny Pascoe, who works out of Mullion Cove, Cornwall.

He said: "My motivation to join the podcast was that it’s great to see people interested in what young fishermen around the UK are doing.

"It was nice to be asked to tell our stories - sharing our struggles and celebrating our successes with others who understand what we face out here."

Johnny Pascoe (Image: Kirstin Prisk Photography.) The youngest participant is 13-year-old schoolboy Antony Newcombe, who fishes off his home village of Cawsand, Cornwall.

He has built up a steady market for his catch and a big following online.

Matilda Phillips, born into a fishing family in Cadgwith, Cornwall, and co-ordinator of the Young Fishermen Network, said: "A massive aim of the network is recruitment – finding more crew, finding more young people who want to go fishing, shining a positive light on the fishing industry and opening people’s eyes to what fishing is like and how much fun it is."

The podcast producers say that listening to the young fishers has been a real eye-opener.

Hannah Stephens said: "The average age of a UK fisherman is 58 but we found that so many young people are still jumping right in.

"There’s so much to navigate in an already hard and demanding industry, yet those we spoke with are all passionately driving forward and campaigning to shine a light on the positive, fun and lucrative sides to fishing too."

The event in Newlyn on November 29 is free to attend but places need to be booked via the Miracle Theatre website.

The podcast will be launched live during the launch party and can be listened to at miracletheatre.co.uk.

The series features Cornish fishers Antony Newcombe (Cawsand), Jack Kelly-Granger (West Cornwall), Tom Lambourn (Newlyn), Jack West (Mevagissey), Jonny Pascoe (Mullion), and Scottish fishers Ross Davidson (Lossiemouth), Erin MacKenzie (Mallaig), and Tom Robertson (Lerwick, Shetland).